Re-Awakened :I Ascend as an SSS-Ranked Dragon Summoner

Noah vs Erica Vasquez

The enclosed ring hummed with energy as barriers flickered blue around its perimeter. The countdown buzzer had already sounded, its echo hanging in the charged air. It was time.

Noah rolled his shoulders, eyes locked on Erica Vasquez across the arena. The 1C student had a confident smirk plastered across her face, hands already moving in small circular motions as tiny bubbles formed between her fingertips.

’This is going to be tricky,’ Noah thought, his HP gauge floating in the corner of his vision showing 493/600. Not ideal, but workable. The previous hours fighting death had taken more substantial figures from his HP than he cared to admit but he was recovering just fine.

From the stands, a wave of excited chatter rose as students from both classes cheered for their champions. This wasn’t just another school fight—this was the selection process, the tournament that would determine who represented School 12 in the Eastern cardinal tournament.

”Bubble girl versus zombie boy!” someone shouted from the crowd. ”Ten credits on Vasquez!”

Noah resisted rolling his eyes at the nickname. Sure, surviving a category 3 beast attack without combat abilities on record was unusual, but did they have to keep bringing it up?

Across the ring, Erica’s hands moved faster, bubbles multiplying between her palms. ”Ready to get washed up, 1B?” she called, her voice carrying across the arena.

Noah didn’t answer, instead focusing on channeling chi through his body. He felt the familiar warmth spreading through his limbs, the slight tremble of enhanced muscles as energy flowed along his meridians. To observers, nothing visible changed—that was the beauty and mystery of chi.

In the front row of the stands, Sophie Reign leaned forward, eyes narrowed in concentration. The minister of defense’s daughter watched with a mixture of concern and pride. Dating a first-year had raised eyebrows across campus, but Noah wasn’t just any first-year.

Erica moved first, sweeping her arms forward as dozens of bubbles shot toward Noah like transparent bullets. He ducked and weaved, each bubble missing him by mere inches as he analyzed their trajectory.

’She’s starting with speed shots to test my reflexes,’ Noah thought as he sidestepped another volley. ’But there’s something off about the way they’re moving.’

One bubble grazed his shoulder, and Noah felt a sharp sting as moisture was literally pulled from his skin, leaving the area dry and slightly cracked.

HP: 487/600

’Right. Moisture drain. Can’t let those touch me.’

From the stands, Lucas watched along with Sophie, ”Those aren’t just water bubbles! They’re pressurized air-water hybrids! One pop could slice through metal! He’s got to be careful,”

Noah grimaced. He’d seen Erica fight before, but she was clearly holding back some tricks during the other rounds. This was the exact reason why he stayed back to see other fights.

Erica laughed, rising a few feet off the ground as she stood on a cluster of larger bubbles. ”What’s wrong, zombie boy? Thought dating an upperclassman would make you stronger?”

The taunt was meant to distract, and Noah knew it. Instead of responding, he circulated more chi to his legs and feet, preparing to move.

Erica thrust both palms forward, and this time a wave of larger bubbles surged toward him like a transparent tsunami. Noah waited until the last possible second, then pushed off with chi-enhanced legs, leaping higher than should have been physically possible and sailing over the attack.

Gasps echoed through the crowd. Even Erica’s eyes widened slightly.

’That’s right, keep underestimating me,’ Noah thought, landing in a crouch.

Sophie’s voice cut through the crowd noise: ”That’s it, Noah! Close the distance!”

But Erica wasn’t going to make it easy. She created a platform of bubbles beneath her feet and soared higher, beyond Noah’s jumping range. From her elevated position, she began raining down bubble bombs—compression bubbles that exploded on impact, sending sharp water jets in all directions.

Noah dodged the first few, but one detonated too close, and slicing water pressure caught his left arm and thigh.

HP: 462/600

The cuts weren’t deep, but they stung like hell. Noah gritted his teeth, analyzing Erica’s pattern while continuing to move. He noticed she needed a moment to concentrate before creating the compression bubbles, a slight pause in her otherwise fluid movements.

’There’s my opening.’

But first, he needed to get closer.

Erica was grinning now, creating a swirling vortex of bubbles around herself like a defensive shell. ”What’s wrong, 1B? Can’t reach me up here? Maybe you should ask your girlfriend for a boost!”

The crowd laughed, and Noah saw Sophie’s face tighten with annoyance. But he remained focused, chi circulating faster through his system as he formulated his plan.

’Her bubbles need moisture from somewhere. The air’s dry today, which means she’s pulling water vapor from limited sources. Her own body, the ground, and...’

Noah looked at the wet patches where her bubble bombs had exploded. Of course.

He waited until Erica launched another barrage, then deliberately let one bomb detonate near him—while shielding himself with chi-reinforced arms.

HP: 445/600

The explosion left a puddle at his feet. Before Erica could react, Noah channeled chi to his hand and slapped the puddle, sending water droplets flying upward. Not much, but enough to disrupt the careful balance of her bubble platform.

For just a second, her concentration broke as bubbles popped around her feet. Noah seized the moment, channeling massive chi to his legs and launching himself upward in a spectacular leap.

Erica’s eyes widened in shock as Noah appeared directly in front of her, seemingly defying gravity.

”Impossible!” she gasped.

”Nope. Just physics and chi,” Noah replied with a grin, before delivering a chi-enhanced palm strike to her chest.

The impact sent Erica tumbling from her platform, bubbles bursting around her as she fell. She managed to create a cushion of bubbles to break her fall, but Noah was already descending, driving a heel down toward her recovery bubble.

She rolled away just in time, but Noah was relentless, pressing forward with a series of quick jabs and kicks, each one infused with chi energy that made them far more powerful than they appeared.

”How are you so fast?” Erica growled, desperately creating a bubble barrier between them.

Noah didn’t answer, instead analyzing the barrier. These bubbles were denser, designed to block physical attacks. But Noah noticed they were less mobile, requiring more of Erica’s concentration to maintain.

’She can’t attack and defend simultaneously at full strength. Her powers have a split attention weakness.’

From the stands, Sophie called out, ”My God, his control is exceptional! Look at his movement,”

Lucas smirked, knowing it was more than just his technique that marveled Sophie.

Noah pushed harder, forcing Erica to reinforce her bubble shield as he struck it repeatedly from different angles. Each impact caused her to step back, her face showing increasing strain.

Then, unexpectedly, Erica dropped her shield entirely and thrust both hands forward. A massive wave of bubbles erupted toward Noah, too many to dodge.

HP: 389/600

The bubbles clung to his skin, instantly beginning to drain moisture. Noah felt his lips crack and skin tighten painfully as dehydration set in rapidly. This was her trump card—the moisture drain technique that had defeated so many others.

Erica’s face lit up with triumph. ”Got you now! In thirty seconds, you’ll be too dehydrated to stand!”

The crowd gasped as Noah dropped to one knee, seemingly defeated.

Noah thought through the pain. ’Right. Chi circulation can offset the dehydration temporarily.’

He closed his eyes, focusing inward as he changed his chi flow pattern. Instead of enhancing strength, he directed energy to maintain cellular moisture, countering Erica’s technique just enough to buy time.

HP: 345/600

The draining slowed, but didn’t stop. Noah knew he had maybe twenty seconds before even his chi couldn’t compensate.

’Think, think! What’s the weakness in her bubble drain?’

Noah observed the bubbles clinging to him, noting how they pulsed slightly as they extracted moisture. Each bubble was connected to Erica by nearly invisible strands of energy—her direct control lines.

’The bubbles are extensions of her will. Break her concentration...’

With a sudden burst of chi, Noah forced himself upright, surprising Erica who had been approaching to finish him off.

”How are you still standing?” she demanded, eyes wide.

Noah didn’t waste energy talking. Instead, he scooped up dirt from the arena floor and flung it directly at her face. A cheap trick, but effective—Erica flinched and raised her hands to shield her eyes, momentarily breaking her concentration.

The drainage bubbles weakened just enough for Noah to tear free. His skin was raw and painful, but he was moving again, closing the distance before Erica could recover.

HP: 312/600

”That’s cheating!” she sputtered, trying to back away while forming new bubbles.

”That’s strategy,” Noah countered, pressing forward with renewed determination. His skin felt like parchment, and his throat was desert-dry, but his mind was razor-sharp, analyzing every movement of his opponent.

Erica sent another volley of cutting bubbles his way, but her rhythm was off now, the pattern less precise. Noah weaved through them, taking a few glancing hits but maintaining his advance.

HP: 296/600

From the stands, students were on their feet, shouting in disbelief. Nobody had gotten this close to Erica during the entire tournament except her first opponent with blood powers.

”He’s inside her optimal range!” Oba who was watching along with Lucas said. ”Bubble users need distance!”

Erica knew it too. Panic flashed across her face as she attempted to create distance, forming a bubble platform to lift herself again. But Noah was ready this time.

As she began to rise, he channeled chi to his arm and threw a rock from the arena floor with perfect accuracy, piercing the main support bubble. Erica wobbled, her concentration broken again.

Noah seized the opportunity, launching himself forward with every ounce of chi-enhanced speed he possessed. He connected with a devastating combination—a chi-infused palm strike to her solar plexus, followed by an elbow to her ribs, and finishing with a sweeping kick that took her legs out from under her.

Erica hit the ground hard, gasping for breath. Before she could recover, Noah was above her, fist pulled back and glowing feintly with concentrated chi energy.

”Yield,” he said simply, voice raspy from dehydration.